Chapter Text
Two Brothers Under the Sun
Chapter – XXV
The Witch Doctor
The brook's current was so calm everything carried by it had only a gentle, undulating motion, which was nothing to the swimmer who had spent who knows how much time floating on his back... if he hadn't been pushed to near exhaustion during his altercation with a giant tiger.
Tarzan curled and uncurled himself as his still-sleepy body rose and fell in its watery surroundings. The heat of the sun awoke him early in the forenoon. His first conscious sensation was of thirst, growing almost to the proportions of suffering with full returning consciousness. Still, a moment later it was forgotten in the joy of two almost simultaneous discoveries. The first was when he adjusted his head and swallowed a wave of fresh water, slaking part of his yearning; the other was the sight of an approaching shore he instantly recognized as one of the sections of the border under the hippos' jurisdiction. Could it be possible that fate not only saved him from certain death but also threw him up at the very threshold of his beloved second home? The last shred of doubt was cleared away once he confirmed that yes, he was safe and in friendly territory.
Tarzan took a deep breath. Several actually, just happy his lungs weren't being crushed anymore. After taking a moment to enjoy the basic act of breathing, the Naked Ape dove into the water and swam around so his body could move without feeling the burden of its own weight. The Waingunga fully refreshed him, thus allowing the young man to make good headway toward the shore with renewed vigor. His strokes are long and easy, cutting through the gentle river as he swam unencumbered toward the land. With a pounding heart, the White Ape clambers then leaps to the beach. As he stands up on the sandy shore, a profound feeling of relief pervades his being.
Tarzan of the Great Troop lives, and so that all might know it he threw back his young head and gave voice to the Safe Word of his godfathers' Commune. For a moment, silence reigned upon the jungle, and then, low and weird, came an answer:
"TARZAN!"
From the eastern plains in the distance, faintly, he spotted a figure racing down the dim crest of a neighboring hillock. Two to be exact; for the tawny mongoose was riding on top of the speeding hog's head. They swept Tarzan into a hug, crying their eyes out. Pumbaa choked out a sob while Timon held on tight to the youth's shoulder. Both of them were overjoyed to see their godson safe and sound.
"I'm okay..." he soothingly spoke, an arm around each of them. "I'm okay..."
After separating, Tarzan was crowded by the two as they fretted over him.
Mortified gasps broke out when they saw it.
There were no wounds. Whatever fractures and lacerations he got were gone. His body was clear, at least for the most part. Of course, in playing together, Simba and Terk had often nipped him harder than intended, and there were white scars all over his arms and legs. But Tarzan would have been the last person in the world to call these bites, for he knew what real biting meant.
But something was different... very different.
Shere Khan's mark had scarred. The Khan had given him three gashes over his right breast when he pinned him down during their fight.
"That's a nasty mark." Timon blanched.
"What happened?" Pumbaa asked, brimming with concern.
"Shere Khan happened," Tarzan replied, simply. "And... I got a bit too close."
Timon and Pumbaa couldn't help but stare before glancing upwards, checking for their godson's reaction.
Slowly, he brought his hand up to touch the wound inflicted on him by the tiger, the ghost of that stinging sensation from when those claws cut into his flesh returned as he realized the injury would stay there. He took a somber moment to realize that this was his reality and not some dream, and another to tangle with the fact that this wasn't going away. This is something he'd have to deal with for the rest of his life. A thoughtful look crossed the ape's face as he remembered his encounter with the monarch.
"Why am I still alive?" Didn't Shere Khan intend to kill them?
Then, his eyes shot open.
"SIMBA!"
Tarzan shook his head, determination overwhelming his tired features by the time he snapped at his godfathers. "GUYS, SHERE KHAN IS HERE, HE CAUGHT US AT THE SWAMP AND HAULED SIMBA OFF A CLIFF!"
Timon rubbed the back of his head, a bit off-put by the youth's intense, shaky response. "So that's what happened."
Tarzan raised his eyebrows.
"T, it's alright. We saved him!" Pumbaa informed.
At those words, the naked brother could breathe again. "Really?" He asked, more shakily than intended. "Where? Where is he?"
"Basi said something about taking him to a Witch Doctor in the west forest," Timon replied.
"Where's Baloo?"
The swine responded: "He went to the swamps looking for you."
"We spoke with Ono, he sent a tick bird to tell the Colonel." Timon pointed his thumb over his shoulder in the marshlands' direction. "You just missed him and the Jungle Patrol."
Tarzan sighed easier now that he had one less thing to worry about. Done that, he started his march; pacing across his path with heavy steps.
"Hey, where are you going?" asked Timon.
"I must go see him."
"Who?"
"The Witch Doctor."
Timon took a moment to catch up to Black Back. "You know, Hairless Wonder, the guy didn't sound like a friendly type from what Louie told us about him."
"If my brother is there, that's where I am going." Briefly pausing, he turned to the pair he and Simba had come to love as family. "What about you?"
"...Darn right we are!"
Close to the bank the jungle commenced, and into it, they plunged, stern and determined-a mismatched trio of bug-eaters searching for their golden lion.
Little by little their distance from the river grew in length as they wandered farther away from it, until finally, the trio found themselves deeper into western jungles than they had ever ventured beforehand. Wary and noiseless, they trekked, discovering no spoor indicative of their friend. There was no sign of life around them besides plants in fact, yet they felt that uncanny sensation of unseen eyes regarding them in silence.
More than once they shuddered.
"Hello? Hello?" Tarzan steeled himself. "Anybody there?"
"Well, this place looks deserted," Timon remarked while still bracing himself.
"The path is too dense," Pumbaa complained, struggling to see and move past the deep undergrowth. "How are we gonna find that wise guy in here?"
"Guess we'll just have to keep looking." Tarzan trotted in front of them, as rapidly through the winding maze as if he were traversing the familiar trails of the Wakalu by daylight. He and his family knew how to find their way across the jungle even though they seldom journeyed around these parts. "Did King Louie say anything else?"
"Other than telling us to beware of him? Not much. And that, in exchange for a good meal, Kaa will share his wisdom with whoever asks." Timon winced during the last part, obviously hoping the doctor wouldn't barter their lives for Simba's.
"What kind of wisdom does he share?" questioned Tarzan. "And what exactly does he eat?"
"Monkeys."
He guessed as much—no wonder they were scared of him.
"As for his wisdom, I never met the guy so I have no idea."
"Do we at least know where his lair is?"
"Nope. I know he lives on our side of the river and the forest is his turf, and that's about it. But the baboons said they saw him in this corner of the woods."
Tarzan was a good student, his teacher was proud to say so. Young as he may be, the Mangani had seen and learned many strange things in his life. That said, even the largest of animals looked small compared to the immensity of their home. Many things in the Bukuvu were a mystery even for those who've spent their entire lives dwelling in the dense, shadowy, and impenetrable forests of the jungle. Bagheera, himself as wise as they come, had stressed numerous times that those who knew the most about the wilderness and its secret were the ones called Mjuzi, the Witch Doctors.
This brought a question to the forefront of Tarzan's mind... how come he never met this oh so wise Kaa?
At last, they came across a grove with more room to maneuver, so the three took the chance to give each other some more space now that they were out of the claustrophobic jungle patches. In the center was a spring of water that rose in a small rocky canyon between two hills, the easternmost stood out because of the huge granite boulder resting upon its summit. The westerly hill was lower than its companion and was quite bare of vegetation except for a single mimosa tree which grew just a little below its summit.
Timon heard rustling from the left side of the canopy. When he cocked his head towards it, the sound stopped. The meerkat shrugged.
Another sound fizzled in; a hissing noise.
"Rustling. Hmmmm," Timon mused. "And hissing. At the same time." He forced down a gulp. "Not a good sign."
All was quiet again, and soon a creeping feeling set in. Timon lifted a log in the path to shoot his hand under it, figuring a good grub would ease his nerves while they searched for the mysterious Mjuzi. Perhaps Simba would like a treat too, wherever he was in this forest.
"Ah-hah! Gotcha!" He snatched up a bug and popped it in his mouth. "Oooh, goody. One of the minty ones!" This time, he lifted another end of the log and grabbed a fat beetle sure to bring a smile to his injured godson.
The rustling started again.
Timon snapped his head around.
Slithering from the terrace above was one of the biggest snakes he had ever seen. One that evoked memories of the giants that attacked Monkey City countless moons ago. The python's tongue was flicking in and out of his mouth as he smiled.
Timon had seen many predatory smiles in his life, but this one was a contender for the nastiest.
The legless reptile stared down at the meerkat, still smirking, to the latter's discomfort. "A bit on the skinny side of scrawny but... tsk tsk tsk, you will do."
"Who-ee!" Timon dropped the beetle and prepared to make a run for it. "I'm outta here!"
"Not so fast." The snake spoke in its kind's natural sibilance. "Let's talk about what is for lunch. I have not eaten in a fortnight and could use a little snack while I'm here."
Timon couldn't move. He wanted to move, to scream, but all he could do was stare back at the python, suddenly unable to avert his gaze away from the predator's eyes. A psychedelic visage overtakes him, beautiful if not baffling like the reflection of a rainbow dissolving into ripples on the lake as the snake's eyes slowly cycle through different colors: first natural yellow, then filling with concentric circles of blue, bright yellow, and purple.
"Yes... look into my eyes, little mongoose."
The python had him hypnotized. No matter how hard he tried, how much he shouted inside his head to spur his brain into action, his body simply wouldn't budge. Except for the teeth which chattered with fright, he was immobile. Those serpentine eyes had lulled little Timon into a sleep-like trance.
"So small, so scrumptious."
The python lifted its head, eyes so close to the meerkat's face they looked as big as his whole body. Coils wrapped silently around Timon, not crushing him but cutting off any of his escape routes by several pounds of reptile. Dry and smooth skin almost obscured him from view, except for an opening meant for the python's head, which was closing in with its mouth wide open.
"TARZAN BUNDOLO!"
A mad shout was heard. Tarzan came flying from behind the log, his kick colliding with the bald, flat head of the scaly beast. The loose is loosened and Timon falls out of the predator's spell. Pumbaa came hurling the coils out of his path so he could hoist up his friend in his snout. While the pair moved out of the way, Tarzan faced the snake.
Twined in a great tree was the gigantic python—huge, ponderous, scaly—who grew larger and larger as it recoiled the folds it had used to catch the meerkat in a deadly embrace until his head was an inch away from the boughs above. His scales were golden, with a lighter underbelly and dark brown spots patterned across his back. The head and neck were small in comparison to his large body, although his mouth was large enough to take up most of his head.
Nothing in the jungle had inspired within the breast of Tarzan such fear as did the Great Khan himself, but the massive reptile in front of him immediately got to second place.
"Stay back!" snarled the Mangani, swallowing his own dread and cursing for not bringing a weapon just in case.
"Well, look who is here." The snake spoke out, voice courteous even as he sounded on the verge of chuckling in excitement. "What a succulent surprise: the little frog who has grown bigger than a goat." Hungry eyes belonging to a terrifying and ancient reptile now hungrily eyed the sinewy primate. "So sweet to finally meet you. I have dreamt often of having your kind for dinner."
He attacks head-first to swallow the prey.
The Pinkish Ape leaped upon the glistening, writhing body of the python. Never had he touched a snake bigger than a branch. Thus beset, the serpent whipped and twisted. Still clinging to the tree, the mighty coils held the youth as though he had been without weight. Tarzan curled his fists and this he now took to slamming rapidly into the head of his enemy, but the beast endured his punishment. Yet on he fought, not once did he seek to escape the horrid death that confronted him—his sole aim was to slay the python who threatened the lives of his family. The great, wide-gaping jaws of the snake turned and hovered above him. The elastic maw, which could accommodate a rabbit or a horned buck with equal facility, yawned for the young man; but, in turning his attention upon the White Ape, the constrictor brought his head within reach of Tarzan's jabs. Instantly a brown fist leaped forth and decked the mouth shut. All about them grew the giant trees of the tropical jungle, festooned with hanging vines and mosses; Tarzan seized upon the nearest and started to clamber, apelike, to the branches above. As he did so, the giant suddenly rushed his great body behind him and rammed his head into the very creepers to which clung the light-skinned primate—but missed by a small margin. Tarzan drew himself to safety among the leafy branches.
"Do you want him for yourself, Man-Cub?" inquired the old serpent whose humongous shadow blocks out the midday sunrays casting through the canopy. "Finders, keepers, losers, weepers."
The bull ape bellowed: "Leave this jungle!"
"You are the one who came here uninvited with no warning," the rock python, in turn, retorted. His calm lisp turned more menacing. "I don't get many visitors. Only the damned and the desperate enter my domains; which are you?"
When he felt at a distance safe from the constrictor's hypnotic gaze, the juvenile answered: "Neither. I am Tarzan of the Great Troop, and I've come for my brother."
Strangely enough... the giant recoiled at this.
"Well, why didn't you simply say so?" At once, he smiles all affable and retreats back into the trees... leaving behind a very confused young man.
Down on the ground, Timon's eyes rolled up and he fell over in a dead faint.
"Are you okay, Timon?" Pumbaa asked, pushing the meerkat's feet with his nose. "Timon, ol' buddy, speak to me! Speak to me! Don't die!"
Timon blinked, then sat up and started patting himself all over. "I am alive, right?" he asked cross-eyed. "I am not dead or anything like that, am I?"
"No, you are right here with us." Tarzan, having freed himself from his baffled state, joined them. "You had a close call. That snake almost had you for lunch."
"Over here, my children," said python's voice called from somewhere in the jungle around them.
Timon and Pumbaa braced together while Tarzan gritted his teeth.
"Come on." The latter stated, starting to move towards the rock formation.
Pumbaa asked as they followed anyway. "Say, Tarzan, where is your fang?"
Tarzan pointed to his teeth, showing no fear. It was still there, he was just getting better at hiding it.
As they set forth, they observed their surroundings extra carefully for any signs of the tree-top hypnotist. Seeking shelter in the canyon, they were covered by an arc of rock and stone stretching ever upwards until joining at the topmost point, forming a cavern; its most obvious feature being the many, many flowering plants growing out of the walls, sprouting long shoots of beautiful purple blossoms. The garden awed the trio well enough that they didn't have a strong urge to jump when, out of nowhere, the stranger's voice returned.
"Where are you? Can't you come a little bit closer?"
Still, they winced. Ultimately, it was Tarzan who took the leap of faith... he stepped out to the other side of the cave.
"Perfect."
The Black Back' head turned just slow enough to not snap.
"Dive!"
Timon and Pumbaa swiveled, flinched, and scurried outta there. The reptile's scales were shining gold in the sunlight as he slithered close to the canyon's entrance, his lower body hidden amongst the jungle's tangled limbs. He retained his face-wide happy smile despite the ape growling at him while standing between the predator and his friends. Remembering those yellow eyes snared prey into the python's clutches, Tarzan kept his gaze away but without fully letting the serpent out of his sight... until he saw it.
Another great beast was there.
Leaning on a tree to support himself, a big cat did a quick head count of the group assembled near the flower patch and smiled at all faces present, not showing even an iota of hostility toward the snake.
Simba the Golden Lion looked as vibrant as ever.
The rush of emotion Tarzan experienced was indescribable. Without thinking, he sprinted to his brother. The sound of his hasty footsteps went unheard. Simba only had a split second to look-
'THUD'
Before he was tackled into a hug.
The embrace was firm, but also soft in a way. Tarzan buried his face into his brother's mane as the latter stood there, stunned into silence until he hugged back. Furry brother and furless brother rubbed their foreheads together. It wasn't long until their godfathers joined in; just glad they were all okay.
"Oh! Our baby's alright!" Timon bawled with no restraint of any kind.
"Oh, I always knew he would be!" Pumbaa declared in tears as well.
After a moment or two, they pulled away.
"You are okay... but how?" Tarzan asked in disbelief.
"Basi and his hippos found me, they brought me here so I could be treated by Kaa." His brother explained.
"The Witch Doctor?" At Simba's nod, the White Ape further inquired: "Where is he? I want to meet him."
"You were looking for him, yes?"
The three arrivals jolted again, they had forgotten about the snake. The smaller pair bolted behind the Mangani who now flashed a fierce, angry look at the serpentine giant. The rock python, living up to its kind's name, was perched comfortably on the boulder atop the eastern hill as he watched the little reunion taking place right below.
"Guys!" Simba was quick to interject. "It's okay, he is a friend!"
"Wait, what?" Tarzan stopped uncertainly, the anger in his frown changing to confusion. He slightly lowered his arms, staring aside at his brother.
Timon's jaw dropped to the point one would think it would fall off. "Am I missing something?" He asked appalled. "A python for a friend?! Why not hyenas, tigers, or even some crocodiles?" The meerkat laughed mad, likely developing an aneurysm. Out loud, he played the scenario concocted in his coping mind: "Well, hello, Makuu. Gee, you look kind of hungry. How would like some ham with a side of meerkat?!"
"Now, Simba, I know we taught you to be accepting of our jungle neighbors..." Pumbaa stated, also aghast yet more subdued. "But buddies don't eat your other buddies."
"Relax, it was just a misunderstanding." Simba defended. "He's been helping us a lot."
"Help from a python?" Tarzan scrunched a frown, having difficulty believing such a thing. "Pythons are the Khan's servants." He reminded Simba while giving the serpent a stinkeye. "Why would they help us?"
"Why would a leopard raise a man's cub?" The snake decided to finally speak his defense. "I will have you know I've left the Khanate. I hunt for myself alone. If I wanted you for dinner you would be in my stomach by now. And had you found your way here without Bagheera's good word, I would have snatched you sooner."
...Somehow, that didn't inspire much confidence from the newly arrived.
Also, Tarzan particularly wondered, Bagheera knew there was a python on their side of the river, and neither he nor anybody else bothered to do anything about it... why?
"Come on, guys." Simba pressed on. "Kaa ain't that bad after you give him a chance."
"Good to know you appreciate what I have done for you, Simba." 'Kaa' snarked.
Tarzan and the others paid them no mind, for, as if they weren't already having a hard time accepting that their lion had struck a friendship with a mortal enemy, they were now too busy taking in another sudden revelation.
"...What?" The White Ape half-whispered as his eyes grew bigger and bigger before he turned to the python. "You are the Witch Doctor?!"
"In the flesh," Kaa confirmed, doing his kind's equivalent of slumping shoulders.
"A snake is treating our lion cub?!" Timon looked ready to faint, and Pumbaa wasn't far behind.
"I am not a cub anymore," Simba uttered.
"I don't get it." Tarzan, meanwhile, was more confused than shocked by then. "It doesn't make any sense at all!" Many questions popped up; from a whole myriad, he blurted out: "How come we never heard of you?" He addressed his brother's (supposed) doctor. "Why would Bagheera keep that from us?"
"Because I told him not to." Creepy as he thought the serpent to be, Tarzan's mind still functioned to pick the respectful and strangely soft-spoken manner in which the snake talked about his teacher. "He is a dear comrade."
Tarzan didn't know how to respond to that, so Timon took the chance.
"I think we need to have a word with Bagheera next time we see him."
A wince visibly traveled along Kaa's long body... same with Simba.
Tarzan did not like that.
"What's the matter?" He questioned, despite the chill building up in his gut.
The rock snake responded for both himself and the lion, and Tarzan didn't remember what happened between that and him running up the smaller hill towards the mimosa tree at full speed. Kaa, Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa silently brought up the rear. Spotting a shape under a pile of ferns at the tree's base, Tarzan made a short pause before walking toward it. When he was close to pulling back a frond, Kaa stuck his head out in front of him, almost making the ape fall on his back.
"So long as you stay back and don't touch… alright." Mutely, the snake undid his wrapping so they could see it, and Tarzan got the first look at Bagheera. He gasped.
That… broken and bruised form was his godfather? Tears started to well up in his eyes as he looked him over for signs of life even as the rest of his family slipped to his side, their eyes also developing a red rue.
"What is that?" he asked, pointing towards multiple tiny holes and scratches that now scarred Bagheera's body.
"He fell on a prickle bush," Kaa said. "A branch got stuck on his side. I broke off most of it as carefully as I could, but left the rest of the shaft in his body for now."
Tarzan's eyes went wide. "Why haven't you taken it out yet!?"
"Because then he might bleed to death," he said flatly. "For now, it's holding his blood in, where it belongs. Thank goodness the hippos didn't try plucking it. My coils are splinting his broken bones with tree bark while the tuliza is soothing his pain. But right now, we cannot remove it without putting his life at risk." Simba's own eyes darted towards his downed godfather's face, where a mixture of herbs and flowers stained with blood sat over both eyes, which resembled swollen, overripe peaches. "Right now, I'm helping him heal as best I can. But his body has taken a lot, and it might just easily decide to give up," Kaa looked downward. "Pulling the branch out when it doesn't seem that the wound is in danger of going rotten… that might be the last straw."
"Will he live?"
Kaa swallowed. "I cannot say. All I can tell you is that if he was not here, he would not. But I can give him the best chances possible. His fur is soaked in tuliza to ward off infection. I've given him every healing plant I got in my garden. But now… it's up to him. And I will be staying by his side all the time to do what is possible."
Tarzan swallowed. "Thank you." His sudden disposition in front of the python of all creatures showed how numb he truly felt. He turned and was pulled into a hug by Simba, and then Timon and Pumbaa hugged them both, joining the huddle. After a moment, though, despite the welcome support of their embrace, he pushed free.
The four of them followed Kaa into the garden, which stank of those curious purple flowers.
"My medicine is very strong," Kaa emphasized. "However, I won't be able to hunt while my coils are occupied." He spared a glance at the brothers in particular. "But my dinner can wait. Right now, I am going to need your help to take care of Bagheera."
"Can we help him somehow?" asked Tarzan, still despondent but free of his unshed tears.
"There is a red clay that heals wounds like his."
Pumbaa mused uneasily. "Geez, the only red clay I know is in a place you don't wanna go."
Tarzan turned to him. "Where?"
"In the savannah's dried rivers, at the border."
Simba stepped forth. "I'll go with you."
Tarzan, remembering well of the trouncing he received from the tiger, interjected. "Perhaps you better stay here."
"Oh, nonsense. I feel better already." Simba declared, but he couldn't sway anybody present.
"You are not going anywhere for the time being, doctor's orders." Kaa stood alongside the young man.
"But I want to help." stated the Golden Lion.
"You can help by getting some rest, Sonny Boy." Timon rebuked whistl he waved a finger at him.
The patient wasn't pleased with this. "But there has to be more I can do."
"I am sorry, Simba." Kaa merely shook his head. "We all must learn to accept what the Great Circle of Life hands us. Now try not to worry."
The feline puffed but sagged to the ground nonetheless, seeing no point in arguing.
With that, Tarzan addressed their swine godfather. "Can you take us there, Pumbaa?"
Pumbaa nodded. "Sure, just follow me."
The tip of Kaa's tail came down wrapped around a calabash; surprising the newcomers not for the first time with his humongous size.
"Put the clay in this gourd for safety." He said, passing his burden to Tarzan.
"Go it." The White Ape answered firmly and then regarded the meerkat-warthog duo. "Let's go!"
Tarzan swung off through the middle terrace of the forest toward the border with Timon and Pumbaa after him; they traveled swiftly through the forest. Simba and Kaa gave them a parting glance. Hopefully, the Witch Doctor thought, this wouldn't be the last time he would be seeing them.
###
Bukuvu's northern borders
The Borderlands. The forest was much thinner there, and in the far distance through the trees, Tarzan, Timon, and Pumbaa could see the wide plains where countless antelope and vast herds of zebra congregated throughout each year.
This was not one of those days
The deserted plain seemed utterly empty and quiet. A drought lay upon the earth, which had turned to dust; the sun was beating harshly on the ground, causing Tarzan and Timon to shield their eyes as they looked over the savannah. As the trio stamped off through the yellow grass, a cackling noise was heard from above. Looking up, they caught sight of some vultures circling in the air currents.
"Eeek!" Timon shrieked and scampered for cover inside Pumbaa's hair tuft faster than one could say 'bug soup'. "This place is downright nasty."
"They don't call it the Wasteland for nothing." Tarzan agreed. "Keep a stiff upper lip, guys. What we do here today, we do for Bagheera." He declared proudly, beating his chest crossly.
'BONK'
"OW!"
Pumbaa stepped on the cumbersome end of a large bone, causing the other half to rise from the ground rapidly and strike him in the face.
"He meant stiff, not swollen," Timon remarked, stroking his friend's forehead where he took the hit.
Recovered, the warthog leads them on. There, further ahead, was just the thing for which they sought: a dried waterhole. Bare bones and rocks adorned the dusty, crackled surface of the parched river bed and from its depths issued an uncanny sound, a weird noise that was akin to mirthless laughter.
"Something smells fishy here." Timon suppressed a shiver upon hearing it.
"Not me, I haven't been to Hippo Springs for days," affirmed Pumbaa.
Tarzan narrowed a frown. That hideous laughter was no laughter. This time they recognized it for what it was, the strange cry of a hyena. The dry track stopped at the bank of the river; looking down, they spotted a group of those scavengers surrounding a carcass in the middle of the empty stream, lounging and chewing on bones. The group lays to the ground for cover.
"Hyenas. I hate hyenas." Timon whimpered, already imagining them chewing on his carcass once they had finished with that one.
"Their giggles send spines down my chill," Pumbaa admitted.
"Chills down the spine." This time, it was Tarzan who corrected him.
The wind changes its direction. Soon, an unfamiliar spoor assails the hyenas' nostrils and clues them to the presence of the three watching from above, prompting all of the clan to prowl, grow, snarl, snap their fangs, or, worst of all, laugh in their direction. Seeing this, Tarzan trusted the calabash to Timon to safeguard it while he faced the carrion-eaters.
The White Ape rises and steps up, blocking their path. A hyena was grinning and drooling hungrily only a couple of feet from him.
Tarzan poked at them with his spear, newly retrieved from his new den, and the sullen brute drew back with an angry growl. The other beasts slunk toward them, baring sharp fangs. They were hungry. Toward Pumbaa, they came, and one snapped at Timon on his head. The warthog brought forth his tusks and struck a vicious blow at the hyena, at the same time shouting a volley of execrations. The clanmates dodged and ran to the side of the group, where they stood growling. Tarzan took a step back toward his godfathers so they could guard each other's backs, the creatures bristled with rage at his actions.
Seeing that he was unnoticed, a second beast made a short, quick rush for Timon. The mongoose screamed and darted after his hairless godson, who now turned his attention to the second hyena. This one he reached with his heavy stick, striking repeatedly and driving them back to the pile of bones. Soon the rest of the clan commenced to circle the trio. Thus, the Black Back, now joined by the swine in a perfect frenzy, ran to and fro in an effort to intercept them, striking out with his cudgel and lashing them with his tongue, ripping out warcries as his rage reached its boiling point.
Several times one or the other of the beasts would turn to make a stand against the Mangani, and then Timon would hold his breath; but always fear overcame the rage of the barking beasts, so that they resumed their flight, snarling and bare-fanged, when just a moment ago they looked ready to spring at Tarzan's throat. At last, the Naked Ape tired of the futile chase. With a snarl quite as bestial as those of his Troop, he returned toward his family. At last, they could search the dry riverbed for that medicinal red clay.
At least, Tarzan thought they could... but a pointed gasp from Timon and Pumbaa instantly made him rethink that.
He turned to see the hyenas had come back and were glaring fangs at him.
They came in force, growling and slinking, their tails between their legs. He could see their snarling heads and grinning jaws getting closer, snapping and gaping. Tarzan's eyes blazed when they reared up on their hind feet and he swung his fang at them. For a moment the hyenas paused, caution holding them from their prey. They stood thus glaring at the lad, then slowly, stealthily, crouching, they crept toward him. It was then that Tarzan came swiftly upon them. With angry growls, which they now had focused squarely on the young man, they advanced as, with a smile upon his lips, Tarzan ran to meet them in turn. For an instant one of the animals stood its ground against the huge fang of wood and stone, but the ape-man did not deign even to draw his battle club against one who threatened him and his family. Rushing at the brute he grasped them by the scruff of the neck, just as they attempted to dodge past him, and hurled them across the area after their fellows which already were slinking in the opposite direction, bent upon escape. Fear and hatred still glimmered from their eyes, but, fortunately for their own sake, fear predominated.
Down on the hole, Timon picked and put red clay inside Kaa's gourd. When the group climbed out of the dried mouth, the Pinkish Ape went first to survey their surroundings; the hyenas were nowhere in sight.
"They are gone." He told his godfathers.
Timon gasped, rubbing his head. "Phew! That was close, real close."
After permitting themselves to quench their thirst in the spring that rose nearby, the trio set off toward the jungle at a rapid trot, determined to free Bagheera of his pain as quickly as possible.
###
Kaa's Grove, northern Bukuvu
The gorgeous tropical blooms upon the festooned creepers fall in great loops from the giant trees. An old and rickety but very dignified monkey with a long, white beard sits on the end of a branch and reaches out to pick lily blossoms, holding them delicately as the python would when treating his panther patient, before placing each one just so into his mouth. The maned primate was resting securely wedged into the crotch of the great mimosa, swaying several feet above the ground as he entertained the python's other patient.
"And that, young Simba, is how the leopard got his spots."
The Golden Lion nodded and smiled back, having found a good distraction from his frustrations in the baboon's story. "Nice tall tale."
"Tall tale?" The old simian quirked a brow and chuckled. "You think my stories are for bedtime younglings?"
"Come now, Rafiki. A pride of yellow lionesses scratched themselves in a bramble so they could hunt in the jungle?" Simba snorted at the notion. "Believe me, I have dealt with enough thorny bushes to know that doesn't work."
"Sounds like you have stories of your own, my young friend," Rafiki observed as he took a good look at the former Pride Lander. "Although I'm sure they are not as many as mine." Gazing skyward, his jovial smile changed into a nostalgic one. "My time has been long and I have many stories to share, going back to the beginning of time-I remember them all."
"How about another story then?"
The elder kept his grin even though he shook his head. "Would love to, but I am afraid I still haven't finished settling down for the evening and looks like your brother's on his way here."
Following his gaze, the feline could see the mismatched group making its way through the tangled jungles ahead; led from the front by a white ape who would shift between walking on all fours and two legs. A bright smile crosses Simba's face before he turns back to Rafiki.
"Bye." With a final salute, the old fellow vanished in the branches; the mimosa would be his abode for the days to come.
Sweet guy, was Simba's impression of him. Weird, but cool.
The lion went to greet his family alongside Kaa but, before they could say anything, a cry echoed through the clearing.
"Kaa!"
Heavy steps were heard, growing louder and mixing with the distinct sound of a tired creature deeply puffing his lungs. Everyone present in the vicinity, minus the unconscious panther, could recognize the noise so all in the group glanced in its general direction. Sure enough, it wasn't long until the bear came barging in.
"Don't eat them!" Baloo shouted as he frantically searched for the voracious reptile. "It's me, Baloo and-Tarzan!?"
The Hairless Ape was swooped into a bear hug by his ursine godfather. One Tarzan was all too happy to return.
"You're alive?" Baloo held on to him even after they separated. "And in one piece?!" He breathed deeply in relief, quenching the fatigue. "I thought you were a long-gone goner!"
"Well... not exactly." His godson answered in a kind of sullen mood, casting a downward glance at his chest. Baloo did the same and gave out a light gasp.
"That is a wicked battle scar, little britches."
While the others brought the sloth bear up to speed, the Mjuzi didn't waste time getting to work on his patient. Timon and Pumbaa, never ones to stand the sight of blood or death of any kind, descended the hilltop to the spring, their maned godson and heavyweight best friend by their side as they explained everything to Baloo. Tarzan, with or without his brother's reassurance, could not bring himself to leave his downed mentor alone in the coils of a python. Hence he refused to balk even when Kaa wrapped around Bagheera's body, gently coating the panther in his medicine. In the golden scales was the mashed mixture of herbs and clay the snake had squeezed to cover himself in the same manner a warthog would with mud from his favorite wallow. A most baffling sight for the Mangani. His work done, Kaa untangled the panther from his coils.
"This should do," stated one lamenting Witch Doctor, for he knew there was nothing more to be done for his friend for the time being. "Hang on there, Bagheera."
Some paces away, a pensive expression overtook a young man's facial features as he contemplated a new thought.
"Kaa..."
The hermit turned to Tarzan.
"...back in the swamp, was it you who saved me from the Khan?"
"...No."
His response brought forward a pile of questions to the mind of young Tarzan: who had saved him from the tiger? Whatever happened to the Khan? How did his wounds heal and become scars so quickly? How did he end up on the river?
What was that blue blur of light?
Tarzan's head was still on the clouds by the time Simba began to put his fur in order so they could go home.
"Thank you, for everything." Simba courteously addressed the Witch Doctor. "My kill shall be thy kill if ever thou art hungry, O Kaa."
"All thanks, young Golden Lion. But it's been a long day, let's save that for another time," said Kaa, though his eyes twinkled. "When you come to check on Bagheera, perhaps?"
The big cat nodded and shook his paw with the serpent's tail, sealing their agreement with an understanding glance; the type of thing Simba never thought he would do with a python until today. Following his grateful example, his family respectfully bided good hunting to the snake and the Mjuzi responded in kind as they left, slipping off through a gap to the lush jungles of the east.
Rafiki, who had watched everything, smiles. Eyes glowing with the last rays of light as the five march away, growing distant as dusk weaves the forest's branches into darkness.
"So, what do you think?"
Head lowering, the old baboon saw the great serpent's head swaying a foot below his branch.
"I still wish to see more of Bagheera's manling. As for his brother..." Rafiki, who had traveled far, scratched his chin as old memories flashed on his grinning eyes. "I had a hunch whose pride he belonged to when I first saw him." He told Kaa: "Remarkable likeness really. Full of pluck, just like his father." Shifting his gaze to watch after the path of the departed group, he laughed delightedly. "Hello again, little prince."
"This reminds me, you haven't had the chance to tell the full story."
"It was a glorious sight." Declared the jubilant monkey as he and the python took to sharing tales. "Old Rafiki could hardly believe his eyes: all the animals on the move, coming together from the four winds. Who could forget a day like that? Everybody came to celebrate the birth of Mufasa's boy... Simba."